Chapter 52 Confrontation in the Hall
Lin Changning's expression was not good. After staring at the corpse for a while, he suddenly laughed: "Is the magistrate in the county office?"
The bailiff who brought them here nodded: "It's time for duty, and the magistrate is in the county office."
Lin Changning smiled, a meaningful look flashing across his handsome face: "Please take me to see the magistrate."
The constable nodded, glanced at his colleague's corpse, and then led his men to the second hall.
The second hall of the county government office, located behind the main hall, is relatively smaller than the main hall where cases are heard. It is also called the passage hall or the hall between halls, and it is the place where the county magistrate rests and reflects after hearing cases.
She was determined not to let Lin Erniu go. The witness was dead, but the testimony remained, in triplicate. Lin Erniu would inevitably be unable to deny it. The only option now was to seize the opportunity and strike first, then go to court and convict him.
After being flogged seventy times and then exiled three thousand miles away, it would be difficult for him to survive.
Sunlight streamed through the carved windows of the second hall, casting floral and bird patterns on the gray stone floor. The county magistrate, wearing a black gauze hat and a dark blue robe, sat at his desk, diligently reviewing the case files.
As the bailiff entered, the magistrate, sensing something, looked up and saw the young man in blue robes. He paused for a moment before standing up. A fifteen-year-old centurion—his future was uncertain, so it was always right to treat him with respect. Although scholars in the Great Xuan Dynasty held a relatively high status, who knew what position this young centurion would rise to in the future?
He had sensed this boy's extraordinary talent when he first saw him a few months ago, and sure enough, he became a centurion in just a few months, even surpassing him in rank.
The constable bowed and said, "Sir, Lord Lin has been to the prison and is looking for you."
The magistrate also cupped his hands in greeting. After Lin Changning exchanged pleasantries with the man, the magistrate poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him, saying, "Young Master Lin is indeed a promising young man. What brings you here?"
Lin Changning thanked him for the tea and nodded: "Sir, I just went to the prison. The case we were handling the day before yesterday, now that the witness is dead, I thought since we're already here, why don't we close the case today in front of me, the victim?"
The magistrate hesitated slightly: "Advance trial?"
Lin Changning nodded, his expression extremely serious, and said, "I'm fine, but there's something I can't say."
The magistrate, hearing Lin Changning's cryptic tone, inquired, "What is it, Lord Lin? Please speak freely."
Lin Changning pretended to be troubled: "Besides investigating the matter of changing the quotas back then, there is another matter when I came back this time. My second brother was captured by the Tartars. During the process, I saw the guards who escorted them accepting money from the Tartars. Coincidentally, these two guards were from our county government. Our commander suspected that there were traitors colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, so we conducted a thorough investigation in the army. Who knew that all the soldiers on duty had been killed."
The magistrate was a smart man, and Lin Changning's words immediately set off alarm bells in his mind.
"This? Lord Kobayashi, is it a suspicion?"
Lin Changning shook his head, took out the command token from his pocket and placed it on the table: "It's not that I have doubts, it's that our commander has doubts. The constable disappeared last time, and this time the clues clearly point to Lin Erniu and the constable who died last night. This person died suddenly in the county government office. Your Excellency, if someone with ulterior motives investigates, I'm afraid you won't be able to say anything even if you have a mouth."
The magistrate's face darkened: "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. What do you think I should do, Lord Lin?"
Lin Changning toyed with the token, a harmless smile on his face: "Of course, it's best to close the case as soon as possible. With me, the aggrieved party, here, we can solidify the fact that Lin Erniu bribed the officials to switch the quota. As for the man, he should be given seventy strokes of the cane and exiled a thousand miles away. As for the dead official, he's dead, so the evidence is gone. Once the case is closed, the person behind it can rest easy. As for what happens afterward, we can deal with it slowly. The fox will eventually show its tail. As long as you keep a little attention, sir, you won't have to worry about not being able to find evidence. What do you think?"
The magistrate was actually tempted by the proposal, but the difficulty lay in the fact that Lin Erniu's son was a promising young man. He had heard from the county instructor that Lin Changqing was a man of exceptional talent and would surely pass the imperial examinations this year. The autumn examinations were in August, and if he passed all the way through, but his father was exiled, things might not go well.
This Lord Lin is no pushover either. Despite his young age, he is quite shrewd and calculating. He may appear refined and kind, but his words carry the weight of a person's life.
Seventy strokes of the cane and exile for a thousand miles—he would likely not survive.
Lin Changning played with the token and took a sip of tea with a smile: "The person has been arrested and imprisoned. Even if my cousin is capable of taking the imperial examination, with a father who has a bad reputation, I'm afraid his path to the examination will be difficult. Scholars value their reputation. Who would befriend the child of someone who harmed their nephew? You never know when you might be betrayed. Don't you think so, sir?"
The magistrate, who had just turned around, burst into laughter: "Young Master Lin is right. He is about the same age as my son, and he is already a centurion at such a young age, which is much better than my good-for-nothing son. I feel quite close to Young Master Lin. How about you call me Fangbo? We can visit each other more often in the future, and you can give my son some pointers so that he can learn from you."
Hearing this, Lin Changning knew that things had gone well. He replied modestly, "Uncle Fang, you flatter me. Your son must be doing very well in his studies at the academy. I am a martial artist and not very good at literature. I hope you can teach me more."
The old fox and the little wolf cub exchanged a glance, both seeing satisfaction in each other's eyes.
Magistrate Fang waved his hand and ordered the bailiffs: "Go, bring Lin Erniu to the main hall. We'll close this case today."
The bailiff hurriedly left the second hall after receiving the order, while Magistrate Fang stood up and gestured for Lin Changning to move to the main hall.
"Nephew, please~"
"How dare I go before my elders? I will go with Uncle Fang."
The two walked into the main hall, where the yamen runners had already picked up drumsticks and were striking the drum.
Accompanied by a shout: "Court is now in session!"
The quiet hall instantly became agitated, with three shifts of yamen runners pouring out from both sides in neat rows, quickly taking their positions in the hall after lining up.
In the main hall, a plaque with the inscription "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" hangs above the jury table in the center, with the gavel, writing implements, and green-headed tally sticks placed on either side of the jury table.
Magistrate Fang glanced at Lin Erniu kneeling below the court, his gaze imposing and sharp. After sitting up straight, he looked at Lin Changning sitting to his left, slammed his gavel, and shouted coldly:
"Now that Lin Erniu has bribed the officials to change the conscription list and harm his own nephews, Lin Erniu, do you plead guilty?"
Kneeling in the hall, Lin Erniu saw Lin Changning sitting at the head of the table and his eyes widened in fury: "You little beast! I regret not killing you back then, giving you a chance to torment me. If I had known this would happen, I should have been ruthless and let you die on the road!!"
Lin Changning dusted off imaginary dust from his sleeves, smiled at Lin Erniu, his phoenix eyes crinkling with an indescribable warmth: "Second Uncle? Yesterday's lesson wasn't deep enough."
Magistrate Fang slammed his gavel again, his tone stern: "Lin Erniu is roaring in court and disrupting the order of the court. Guards, give him thirty strokes of the cane!"
Lin Changning watched with amusement as the man was dragged out and beaten repeatedly.
Wan Jin stood beside Lin Changning and twirled his fist: "My hands are itching. I'm afraid this constable isn't strong enough. If I were to do it, I could cripple him in twenty strokes."
Lin Changning glanced at Wan Jin and his smile faded: "There are still seventy batters to go, you'll see..."
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